Archives|THE FIRE AT COLT'S ARMORY.; Particulars of the Conflagration--Loss Nearly $2,000,000--900 Men Thrown out of Work--One Man Killed. THE DISCOVERY. EXCITEMENT AMONG THE WORKMEN. THE BUILDING DESTROYED. PROGRESS OF THE FLAMES. OCCUPATION OF THE BUILDING. THE ADJOINING BUILDING. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE APPEARANCE OF THE RUINS. LOSS OF LIFE. THE LOSS OF PROPERTY. INSURANCE. INCIDENTS.

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THE FIRE AT COLT'S ARMORY.; Particulars of the Conflagration--Loss Nearly $2,000,000--900 Men Thrown out of Work--One Man Killed. THE DISCOVERY. EXCITEMENT AMONG THE WORKMEN. THE BUILDING DESTROYED. PROGRESS OF THE FLAMES. OCCUPATION OF THE BUILDING. THE ADJOINING BUILDING. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE APPEARANCE OF THE RUINS. LOSS OF LIFE. THE LOSS OF PROPERTY. INSURANCE. INCIDENTS.

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At about 8 1/4 o'clock yesterday morning, the deep tones of the steam-gong at Colt's armory sounded through the city, and so protracted was its noise that the community generally anticipated the ringing of bells and cries of fire which soon followed. The Fire Department promptly rushed to the scene, and were speedily followed by large crowds of men, women, and children. Those who had friends employed at the armory were foremost in the rush, and wives, mothers, and sisters, with anxious looks, made eager haste to the meadows. We have never witnessed so much excitement on a similar occasion.

Work was commenced in the various departments of the establishment at seven o'clock. An hour and a quarter later some of the workmen discovered smoke issuing from the attic of the wing to the main building directly over the polishing room. Investigation showed that the fire was somewhere near the main driving ???, and efforts were at once made to stop its further progress. A number of men proceeded to the attic, fortified with a length of hose, and attempted to let on the water but none came, and very soon the flames burst out forcing the men to retire. The fire communicated with the roof, and in less than half an hour the upper works of the entire structure now burnt, were in flames. The top floor of the building was supported by the roof by braces, and when they were burned of course the floor fell through.

Seventeen or eighteen hundred workmen aroused by the sudden cry of fire in their midst could not well maintain among them all, perfect composure; and thus it was that in some instances the widest excitement ensued. The men were all looked in to their respective departments, it being a rule of the company, and this fact added to the confusion. So soon, however, as the doors were thrown open, and the men saw where and what the danger was, they showed, as a general thing, great coolness, and in many instances, manifested excessive courage and daring in rushing through the flames and saving such property as they could conveniently remove.

The building destroyed is the original structure erected by Col. COLT, into which he removed from the Porter building, between Grove and Potter streets. Its erection was commenced in l854, immediately after the great freshet of that year. It was built of Portland stone, facing the river, the main building being five hundred feet long, sixty feet wide, and three stories high, with a wing extending east from the centre, two hundred and fifty feet, of the same width and height, the whole having a slate roof.

After the speedy communication of the flames with the entire upper works of the building, there seemed to be little hope that the fire could be stayed until it had accomplished the work of total destruction. The floors of the building were of yellow pine, and had become thoroughly saturated with oil which had dripped from the machinery. In the attic, where the fire originated, there was stored a large number of patterns, which furnished ready combustion. Cracking and snapping, the flames shot through the openings they made with terrible fury; timbers fell here and there, like baubles before the pranks of a child; the black smoke curled in the air and shot out in full volumes; and the powerful streams of water from the engines were but drops to sparkle in the red flame for a moment and sink down, hissing and defied. At about 9 o'clock the dome over the main building, on which was the large gilded globe supporting a large colt, with fore feet upright, a design placed there by Col. COLT, fell in with a tremendous crash, and gave to the flames new life for the moment. Working north, the fire communicated with the covered bridge-way running from the main building to the office of the company, about thirty feet distant, and that was rapidly enveloped in flames. This bridge had no support, whatever, from the ground, but was fastened together with iron cross-braces, and made so strong otherwise, that the rapidity with which the fire did its destructive work, gave no time for cutting it away. Could it have been removed, the office would probably have been saved. The office was a large and handsome brick building, and the first story now remains with the walls, the firemen having mastered the flames there for the first time. The upper portion of it, however, is a complete wreck.

The building was used solely for the manufacture of pistols and revolving rifles, and about nine hundred men were employed in it. The principal contractors were: Wesley Smith, William H. Green, Charles Parker, V. Cooper. Dwight Mitchell, Giles Remington, J. R. Wittig, Robertson & Best, Evans & Deming, Joseph Williams. Joseph Davis, Charles Thurston, Chauncey Johnson, Robert Kenyon, Norman Smith. Peter Dusch. Augustus Fiege, and Messrs. Bunnell, Whitehouse. Hopkins, Cady, Ives, Parker, Whitney and Bo???denstein. Most of these lost all their tools, and succeeded in saving but very little of the work they had in hand.

The adjoining building -- the two forming in their ground plan the shape of the letter H -- was devoted exclusively to the manufacture of the United States rifle muskets, and it is here, fortunately, that most of the Government contracts with the company are being filled. From seven to eight hundred men are employed in it, and their work will, after a short delay, be resumed. The building is damaged but slightly; but some of the machinery is considerably injured by water, and portions of it were torn up for removal, anticipating that the entire works would be burnt, so that it will take some little time to repair and get things in proper shape for the renewal of operations.

Speculations were rife all day as to the cause of the fire. Various opinions were expressed, and no person about the premises could give any satisfactory solution of the question. The fire having been first discovered near the main driving ???, it was at first suggested that friction had occasioned it; but the gearing ran in very heavy iron boxes, so that supposition soon fell to the ground. Near this pully was a small drying room heated by steam pipes, which was filled with pistol stocks, furnishing very combustible material in case fire should be brought in contact with it. Cotton waste might possibly have been left near this room, or in it, by accident, for one of the workmen made it his duty to go there every morning to oil the pully, & c., and did so yesterday, and from this the fire might have started. A contractor at the factory, who was among the first to go into the attic, informed us that when he reached there the fire was confined to the drying-room, and had water come through the hose which he and his companions had, they would have probably stopped the further progress of the fire. No water coming, they waited for a moment or two, when the flames burst out from the drying-room, and immediately ignited with the belt on the pully and shot with lightning rapidity to the roof. The men were then forced to retire. When once started, it is said the fire swept across the building faster than a man could run, everything being so dry -- just like tinder. Many believed that it was the work of an incendiary, and among them were some of the most prominent contractors in the concern. However, nothing definite is known, and perhaps the mystery never will be explained. Was there a possibility that the heat in the drying-room could ignite the dry stock therein? This is a disputed point. Established affirmatively, the cause of the fire would be no longer a question of doubt in most minds.

The entire building is a complete mass of broken, chaired remains. But a portion of the walls are up, and the stone that does stand is cracked off and scaled, with, seemingly, every particle of its strength heated out. The engines and boilers are destroyed beyond repair. There were two of the former-one beam engine of three-hundred-horse power, and a double horizontal engine of four-hundred-horse power -- two hundred each. A small engine which was the first one used by Col. COLT in the beginning of his business -- when he worked on a small scale and struggled to get along -- was employed as occasion required in the main building. It was thought much of by the Colonel. This is also among the debris. Several small buildings, including the blacksmith's shop, between the main buildings, were slightly injured by the falling walls, but are not materially damaged. The whole aspect of the ruins is indeed a sad reminder of the great blow which the fire has inflicted upon the business interests of this community.

Painful were the many ??? which gained currency through the day, and at one time it was feared that many lives were lost on the persons ??? as missing, one by one, made their appearance and re-??? the general anxiety. One of the workman, however, E. K. Fox. a man aged about ??? was without doubt burnt up. He had been in and out of the building several times, ??? property and the last ??? he went ???panied by Mr. JOSEPH WILLIAMS for ??? worked. The latter, seeing the ??? ing very rapid headway, started to ??? and called to him to follow, as the roof was liable to fall in any moment. Mr. WILLIAMS went out of the building, supposing his advice was taken. A man by the name of BARNEY ROONEY went up afterward, and says Fox was then there. At this time a portion of the roof fell, knocking ROONEY down, but he managed to crawl out and was saved. He called to Fox to hurry and that was the last seen of the missing man. He has a wife and family living in the meadow, within a short distance of the factory, and they have heard nothing of him, so it is not doubted that when the roof fell he was buried up and burned to death. A man named SMITH, living in the meadow, and three or four others, were reported missing, and it is not improbable that some of them may have burned up.

The loss of property is immense. Of work constructed and in process of construction; the estimate is one million dollars! In addition, the building, etc., foot up the aggregate, direct loss, at not far from two millions, though it may not exceed fifteen hundred thousand dollars. The loss indirectly, figuring the stoppage of the works, the throwing of so many men out of employment, etc., cannot be computed. Said one of the chief managers of the concern: "If any one had come to us yesterday and offered us four millions for what is destroyed, we shouldn't have looked at it." Very much of the machinery was manufactured on the spot, the patterns of which were destroyed, and a long time would be required to replace that which is lost. Three years, at least, of faithful labor, would hardly place the works in the order they were.

The total insurance is $660,000. This is on buildings, machinery, & c., covering the entire establishment -- that is, including that which is not destroyed. It is calculated that the loss will call for about 60 per cent, of the amount of the policies, or $396,000, leaving a heavy loss for the company to bear. The insurance was held by the following offices:

The police force never acquitted themselves in a better manner than they did yesterday. The Chief, realizing the responsibility of the occasion, dispatched a full delegation to the scene of the fire, and through their efforts a large amount of property, which otherwise would have been destroyed, was saved. They succeeded, also, in arresting several attempts to carry off goods dishonestly. Working "like troopers," they are deserving of special notice for their efforts.

The firemen met with many difficulties in commencing their operations. The reservoirs were found inadequate' and it was rendered necessary to take three of the four steamers to the river to obtain water. At so great a distance, they were obliged to use seven hundred and fifty feet of hose each, and to have but one stream each on the fire. The hose burst repeatedly, and all the available hose in possession of P. JEWELL & SON was brought into requisition.

Several men were caught in the. upper stories of the building, and could not get out except through the windows. Ladders ??? brought, and it was found the longest would not reach; but some men near by placed it on their shoulders, and lifted it so that inmates of the building made their escape upon it. One of the workmen became so much frightened that he hung himself out of a second story window by his hands, and, without waiting for a ladder, dropped finally to the ground, and landed, fortunately, in safety.

JOSIAH HOWE, a contractor, who lives on Grove-street, had one of his wrists broken.

As soon as it was known that the armory was on fire work at Sharps' factory was suspended, and no business was done during the day.

A steamer was sent down to the ruins last evening, and remained there all night to put a stop to any fresh break out which might occur.

About one thousand lathes and milling machines were destroyed.

The safe was found in good order, none of the contents harmed.

Col. COLT never had this property insured, preferring to take his own risk; and it was not till after his death that policies were taken out.

Thousands visited the spot during the day. The streets and avenues leading thereto were crowded with pedestrians going and coming, all expressing the deepest sorrow at the occurrence. Large numbers were from the surrounding towns, and probably not less than 20,000 people viewed the ruins.

If the office building had been saved, we understand that the value of $400,000 would have been saved to the company. In it were valuable drawings, which it will be almost impossible to replace.

The chief delay in the resumption of business in the building saved will arise from the fact that in the old building all the screws for the work were made, and all the polishing done. New machines ??? have to be made.

A version of this archives appears in print on February 7, 1864, on Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: THE FIRE AT COLT'S ARMORY.; Particulars of the Conflagration--Loss Nearly $2,000,000--900 Men Thrown out of Work--One Man Killed. THE DISCOVERY. EXCITEMENT AMONG THE WORKMEN. THE BUILDING DESTROYED. PROGRESS OF THE FLAMES. OCCUPATION OF THE BUILDING. THE ADJOINING BUILDING. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE APPEARANCE OF THE RUINS. LOSS OF LIFE. THE LOSS OF PROPERTY. INSURANCE. INCIDENTS. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe